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Glasgow Fights the Fees |
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By Glasgow Socialist Appeal Supporters
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Friday, 10 December 2010 |
Following a successful day of action on November 24th that saw up to one
thousand school, college and university students mobilise across the
city Glasgow students again took to the streets and demonstrated on
their campuses on December 8th and 9th with the vote on fees looming.
This was despite the terrible weather conditions that had seen snowfall
down transport across much of the west of Scotland and close the M8
between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Schools were closed and the Universities
had cancelled exams but this wasn’t enough to deter the movement.
On
Tuesday December 8th a demonstration was held at Glasgow University at
which approximately 150 students attended. This was not just made of
students; in comparison to previous demonstrations there was a sizeable
staff presence mainly from the lecturers’ union the UCU. We were later
also joined by students from Strathclyde and Caledonian Universities.
After marching round campus and for the third time this term being
denied a meeting with the principal the demonstration occupied the
Gilmorehill Theatre. This was chosen as both a good space for political
discussion but also as an important symbolic target given that the
University cut the Theatre Department technician staff from five to one
part-time worker over the summer and as such made the theatre, which
used to be commercially operative, a severely underused space.
The
occupants had the support the vast majority of the staff in the
building and behaved non-violently throughout but despite this faced
gross hostility from management. Through initial negotiations aimed at
securing freedom of access management consistently lied to the occupiers
about the presence of police in the building and refused to grant
freedom of access which was only secured by forcing a door open to allow
a number of supporters inside. Some of them had been waiting outside in
-10 degree temperatures for well over an hour.
After a fully
democratic discussion between all involved in the occupation a list of
demands and an accompanying statement were drawn up. They included
demands specific to the university against redundancies and closures of
departments and courses but they also clearly had a wider political
understanding, demands extended to opposition to attacks on the welfare
state and the statement extended solidarity to students and workers
fighting cuts in Ireland, France and Greece.
The occupation also
had a large amount of support from the outside, in particular from the
academic staff at the university. It received messages of support from
across the Arts and Social Science subjects who are first in line for
cuts to come. Staff from History, Sociology, Economic and Social
History, English Literature and French all came to address the
occupation which also received support from several members of the
University’s branch of the UCU who assured us that the whole branch was
behind us. There was also support from the wider labour movement
including a visit from the NUJ president Peter Murray. All the speakers
stressed the importance of the student struggle as representing the
decisive beginning of the struggle against the austerity measures and as
part of a struggle against the marketisation of our education and to
bring down the government. Several UCU members specifically appealed for
the students to support the UCU in the likely
event that they take
strike action next year. Beyond this the specific recommendation of a
joint workers’ and students’ action committee was raised. This must be
followed up on and formed early in the new term.
Despite being
very well furnished with extensive supplies of food given generous
donations from members of staff and students the occupation decided to
pack up on the morning of Wednesday December 9th so that we could
support the mobilisation that had been called for 12 o’clock in the city
centre. We didn’t achieve the numbers that we had two weeks before due
to the closure of much of the transport system and schools and
universities as mentioned above but despite the conditions over 200
people did turn up. As well as school, university and college students
there were also UCU members and Unite members present.
After a
number of speeches from university and school students highlighting the
fact that cuts to education and tuition fees were being proposed as the
result of a banking crisis that we didn’t cause the march set off around
the city centre. The march showed the strength and confidence of that
the experience of the recent student movement has engendered. Police
kettles were roundly walked through and avoided as marchers simply
linked arms and walked on determinedly, walked round side roads or
changed direction. This was not to the liking of Strathclyde Police who
were furious that the students and their supporters were asserting their
right to control the city centre. The demonstration was met with
repeated attempts to kettle the march, and increasing levels of police
brutality as marchers were manhandled and tripped by the police.
Eventually a marcher was arrested, being dealt with in a rough and
violent manner by police who bundled him into a van and forced him into a seat, coming down hard on him when he tried to stand up.
The
march also chose to target a number of companies associate with tax
dodging such as Vodafone, Topshop and also the banks whose bailouts were
responsible for creating the fiscal crisis in the first place.
Unfortunately this led to the march repeatedly faltering outside shops
and banks. Given that no propaganda was prepared in advanced it was
difficult to explain to passersby why we were doing this and in reality
for the most part it only succeeded in pestering workers and customers.
However, this is a secondary matter the main point was the success of
the march in controlling the city centre during the afternoon. The march
was well supported with many passing cars and lorries tooting their
horns in support and city centre shoppers including an elderly couple
joining the march.
Unfortunately a tactical error was made when
most of the march stopped at George Square. This allowed the police to
kettle most of the march, and let those outside the kettle having to
stay there to secure their release. Yet this experience only confirmed
the true character of the police to the marchers. There were two
kettles carried out, one of eight people, seven of whom were under eighteen whilst,
in the other, three people were refused use of the toilet and forced to
use a bag instead. All this took place in sub-zero temperatures. On
release from the bigger kettle all the protestors had their details
taken whilst one was subsequently arrested. Today’s experiences saw the
core of the emerging Glasgow student movement receive an intense
political education in the character of the police as the “armed bodies
standing in defence of private property”: as defenders of a government
unleashing attacks against the young, poor and sick for the benefits of
the
rich and privileged.
We go into 2011 preparing for the
escalation of the struggle. Today saw the Condem’s impose fees on
English students whilst we are also set to see the UCU take action on
our campuses and possibly also a public sector general strike. Beyond
this after the May elections we could well see an emergency budget in
Scotland and the institution of moves towards either fees or fees by the
backdoor in the form of a graduate tax. The task is great but the
experience of the last two days have also shown that workers and
students are moving towards a common struggle providing us with the
basis for victory.
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